Made in Italy with Francesco Quinn

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Francesco Quinn, son of the late actor Anthony Quinn, performs "Pontius Pilate" from "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov Saturday at Pepperdine University's Smothers Theater. Photo by Stephanie Chaisson

The Mediterranean came to Malibu last weekend, as Italian and American cultures celebrated diversity and unity at Pepperdine University, during a private theater performance that drew hundreds of people to the campus.

Held Saturday at the Smothers Theater, the black-tie “Made in Italy” event included a spoken-word dialogue piece starring Francesco Quinn, son of the late legendary actor Anthony Quinn, known for deftly portraying characters of different nationalities.

Quinn did a reading of “Pontius Pilate,” an excerpt from Mikhail Bulgakov’s Soviet satire “The Master and Margarita.”

As narrator and Pilate, the reluctant, headache suffering leader of the Romans in Jerusalem, Quinn played against James Parks as Jesus Christ, set during the trial when Christ and two other thieves were condemned to death, and later crucified. An Israeli multi-instrumental duo, Maetar, provided music for the evening, augmenting the Arabian atmosphere of the performance with a multitude of rich, ethnic sounds and electronic accents.

Diverging from the four New Testament accounts of Christ’s execution, Bulgakov’s piece, a stark flashback sequence to Israel as a commentary on atheism in 1930s Russia, concentrates and almost sympathizes with Pilate, a ruler inclined to convict a holy man of a foreign culture whom he comes to respect.

Before the performance Quinn explained that the exchange between Pilate and Christ was more than a conflict between two men—it represented a perennial culture clash, he said, which the evening’s events were meant to address.

“It came from our hearts … our culture. It really happened. There are dark moments. Pilate certainly had his,” Quinn said. “But if you follow light, there is always truth. We’re just people. We’re artists, and we give of ourselves.”

Quinn’s wife, Valentina Castellani Quinn, pointed out that the inspiration for an event blending together different countries and traditions came from her late father-in-law. Anthony Quinn, a Mexican-American, is remembered as the type of actor who could transcend cultural barriers, as an Italian in Fellini’s “La Strada,” a desert native in “Lawrence of Arabia,” and in the title role of “Zorba the Greek.”

Castellani Quinn noted that because of Anthony Quinn’s Mexican lineage, the event’s overarching message was designed to raise awareness to poverty and political strife in Latin America, and also because of Quinn’s humanitarian efforts that his son, Francesco, has continued.

“It is of paramount importance to bring back the fundamental values of Latin America,” she said. “This event is part of all the series of action we are taking to bring Latin American where it should be, to convey this message of internationality, under the umbrella of creativity and culture.”

In addition to the performance, the lobby of the Smothers Theater was resplendent with displays of Castellani Quinn’s own handbag and fashion pieces for designers like Prada, Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier. Castellani Quinn said several dignitaries from foreign consulates as well as noted Hollywood figures and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin attended the event.

The event also accounted for numerous cross-cultural sponsors, including the Los Angeles Mexican Consulate, the Mundo Maya Foundation, Italy’s TV RAI, and La Prensa of Los Angeles.

In tandem with other food sponsors, the university provided a buffet and alcohol-free bar following the show.

“I think it was excellent and a really interesting take on a story that people have preconceived notions of,” Heidi Heller of Orange County said.

Andrea Rossetto and his wife ventured from Venice, Italy to see the performance.

“It was a great opportunity to see Francesco in action for a long time,” he said. “I think it’s brilliant, since the whole world is concentrating on this particular beautiful spot.”